48 (extra hours) in Launceston: How to End Your Tasmanian Walking Company Adventure. 

So, you’ve booked yourself on one of our epic multi-day Tassie adventures  — maybe the Bay of Fires Signature Walk or the Cradle Mountain Signature Walk — and you want to make a proper holiday of it. Smart move. Whether you're easing into your walk or winding down from a trail, Launceston is the kind of place that rewards a couple of extra days. 

Launnie (as locals affectionately dub the city) is quietly charming — and completely manageable on foot. Think: heritage streets lined with Federation facades, top-tier food and wine, passionate locals, and enough boutique breweries and bakeries to make you reconsider your return flight.  

Plus, if you’ve already done your walk, you’ve probably met Rod —the TWC driver whose gift for fast facts has you intrigued. You’ll know that “Launston” (his emphasis) is the Cradle of Civilisation — the first city in Australia to run on hydro power, and the third in the world to install underground sewers. It’s also a UNESCO City of Gastronomy.  

Not bad for a town of just 70,000 tucked 70 km inland. Here’s a mix of Rod's faves and my experiences.  

Day 1: Post-Walk Reset 

6:00pm - Check In 
Beware! If the annual Agfest is on, book early — Launceston fills up faster than you can say “Tractor Pulling Championships.” I almost spent a night with a bunch of hostel-loving randoms until a last-minute room at Peppers Seaport popped up. These are the two beauties I experienced.  

• Hotel Verge- A brutish contemporary hotel near Harvest Market. The beds are plush, the vibe is modern-industrial, and the bathrooms are so cool that the black-on-black vanity threatens to swallow your onyx coloured charger cables whole. Tip: for early departures, ask the staff to pack a brekkie box to go and pair it with a Nespresso in-room.  

• Peppers Seaport- Set right on the waterfront, this classic hotel came through with the goods: comfy beds, clean lines, and, according to my travel companion, who suffers half a dozen allergies, remarkably clean air. It’s also easy access to Rupert & Hound and their heaving plates of fresh seafood.  

7:00pm - Dinner at Stillwater 
Time to celebrate — or console your legs. Housed in an 1840s flour mill on the Tamar River, Stillwater may be rustic from the outside, but inside it's all sleek and moody. And easily the fanciest restaurant in town. My scallop starter was divine, but the Stanley octopus with lemon dashi, brown butter and udon? It sounds chaotic. It’s not. Like all their dishes, this was next level.  

Peppers Seaport with Rupert & Hound Underneath

Day 2: Culture, Wine & Cheese-Induced Bliss 

7:00am - Bread + Butter 
For a quick carb load, head to Bread + Butter on Elizabeth Street. Set in a repurposed 19th-century factory, it opens early and smells like heaven. I went for one croissant, took two, and could’ve gone back for more. Coffee’s top-notch too. 

8:00am - Explore the Town 
I skipped the Launceston Walking Tour (though my colleague gave it a glowing review) and opted instead for a self-guided walk along pretty Cataract Gorge. It’s a dramatic natural reserve right in the city — with a suspension bridge, zig-zag trails, and peacocks, no less. There’s also a 50-minute cruise for legs that refuse to go further.  

On the way back, I dropped into the Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery. Open from 10am-4pm, it’s part museum, part art space and easily digestible in 30 minutes. The Indigenous exhibition is powerful and thoughtfully curated. 

11:00am - Wine Tour  
You can’t visit Tassie and skip the wine. The Tamar Valley Wine Tour takes in four vineyards including Small Wonder, a 20-hectare organic winery with spectacular views and a gloriously packed cheese platter lunch (so distracting, I barely tasted their wine). Grab a merlot at Holm Oak but make sure you save room for tiny Hinton Bay. Liz and David Brown, the disarmingly friendly owners of this vineyard, are sea-changers living the dream in a Tuscan-style home and cellar door perched above a ridiculously pretty bay and just 1.5 acres of vineyard. Their $60 Pinot may be steep, but it’s unforgettable. 

The tour costs $185, but I easily dropped another $200 on wine I had to take home. Zero regrets. 

6:30pm - Pints + Pizza at Du Cane Brewery 
For dinner, Du Cane hits the spot: casual, buzzy, and full of post-walk hikers reliving their glory. Housed in a cavernous hall that looks like an old-world boxing gym, this brewery turns out epic wood-fired pizzas and beers with a real backcountry pedigree. 

Founder Will Horan — a beer lover and former guide for Tasmanian Walking Company — famously stashed heavy cans of liquid gold in his pack and hauled them up Cradle Mountain to crack at the summit after each long day. That trail tradition sparked his first craft beer, Hut Beer, now offered to lodge guests on TWC walks. It also led to the rise of Du Cane Brewery, which was named Australia’s Best New Brewery (2023). Respect. 

Cataract Gorge

Day 3: Wombats, Markets & One Last Bite 

6:30am - Grain of the Silos 
Make a beeline for the Grain of the Silos restaurant, a light-filled breakfast spot (and scrumptious all-day dining) with big windows overlooking a pretty park. It opens at 6.30 and offers excellent coffee.  

7:30am - Cradle Mountain Day Tour 
Inspired by my Bay of Fires walk, I figured I should at least eyeball Cradle Mountain — just in case I ever tackle TWC’s  67km Overland Track. This full-day trip includes a drive through lush highlands, a loop around Dove Lake, and a stop at the 110-year-old Waldheim Chalet, where you’re practically guaranteed a wombat sighting. 

The journey breaks in Sheffield, a mural-covered town that’s more quirky than kitsch, and Ashgrove Cheese whose AmazeBalls and Cheese Crunchettes make for the best high-protein, low-carb hiking snacks. I intended to save mine for a future hike. They didn’t last the drive.  

6:30pm - A Low-Key Final Feast 
Too tired for fine dining, I wandered past Havilah Wine Bar (tempting) but settled on Hokkaido Sushi Train. Cheap, cheerful, and fast. Good idea when your backpack's full of the state’s best Pinot and the couch is calling. 

Havilah Wine Bar

Day 4: Market Morning 

8:00am - Harvest Market 
If it’s Saturday, head to Harvest Launceston Community Farmers' Market — a showcase of the region’s best produce. Buskers strum guitars, the smell of empanadas hangs in the air, and stalls overflow with pastries, preserves, pickles and handmade kimchi. Grab a flat white from Ritual, a flaky treat from Sweet Wheat, and kick back before your flight. 

Regrets? Just One. 
I didn’t make it to the Turner Stillhouse for the gin distillery tour and tasting. But I’ll be back. Cradle Mountain is calling — and I need another empanada. 

Sweet Wheat at the Harvest Market

Last updated 08 July 2025.